


Don't Leave Me.  Please.

by Greenismyfav



Category: Black Dagger Brotherhood - J. R. Ward
Genre: Brotherhood, Family Feels, Gen, Hurt/Comfort
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-08-10
Updated: 2017-08-17
Packaged: 2018-12-13 19:50:12
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 6,669
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11767131
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Greenismyfav/pseuds/Greenismyfav
Summary: He was tired.  So tired.  Tired of the fight...tired of trying.  Always trying.  Trying to fix things.  Always trying and never fixing shit.  Never making a difference no matter how hard he tried.  His struggles to escape slowed as he gazed up to see the light of the moon drifting further and further away.





	1. Chapter One

**Author's Note:**

> I love the twins and want to see more written about the two of them learning to be brothers. Hope you like.

**Don't Leave Me.  Please.**

 

**Chapter One**

He was tired.  So tired.  Tired of the fight...tired of trying.  Always trying.  Trying to fix things.  Always trying and never fixing shit.  Never making a difference no matter how hard he tried.  His struggles to escape slowed as he gazed up to see the light of the moon drifting further and further away.  Maybe this would be better.  Better for everyone.  Better for him.  Golden eyes closed as he sunk further down with the weight of the car pulling at the chains that tangled around his person.  The ice cold made him too numb to dematerialize out of his predicament.

 

"So this is it, huh?" he asked himself, feeling the burn of his lungs as his body pulled at him for air that the murky water denied them, "Okay.  I've done what I could.  I did try my best."

 

Phury gave up.  He jumped at the hands that snatched painfully at his hair a second later.  He looked up to see an angry, scarred face with burning black eyes hovering over him.  Zsadist was using his brother's hair to get closer to grab to the restraints that held him captive as he continued to sink.  Phury's heart dropped as Zsadist let go of his brother’s locks and yanked at the chains.  Zsadist wouldn't be able to break these chains.  Time was up for one twin, but not the other.  Reaching his one free hand to his brother, Phury shook his head frantically and pointed back to the surface, even as he sank lower in the water.  Zsadist shook his head right back as he strained at metal that couldn't...wouldn't give.  Tears reared at the elder's stubborn denial of the truth.

 

"Go," Phury mouthed to his brother, losing the last bit of precious air he had left even as Zsadist shook his head harder before grabbing at his brother's hand as Phury's limb stiffened at the painful feeling of drowning overcame him. 

 

The last thing he saw was his brother's terrified face before golden eyes slipped closed once again, and stayed that way.

 

oOo

 

Screaming.  Zsadist knew he was screaming. Raging his denials that he was losing his brother.  Losing the fight to save Phury.  He tugged harder on the chains that had wrapped around his brother and dragged his twin into the water when the lessers had pushed the vehicle off the bridge.  The battle had been a trap.  Phury had seen the truth and shoved the rest to safety, but not in time to keep from getting out of the tangle of chains.  Zsadist had roared and jumped after his twin.  There had been no time to think.  Only action needed.  Useless action.  Phury was limp and no longer fighting.  He looked like a ghostly thing with his mane of hair floating around him.  Zsadist roared again as his own air supply began to run out.

 

Hands grabbed at the chains around Phury.  Zsadist looked up to see Wrath pulling just as frantically even as Vishous swam quickly to help.  The scarred Brother marveled as Wrath’s grip began straining the metal, but the chains held.  Then there was light.  Light from Vishous’s cursed hand.  That wonderful, horrible curse that ate through the chains that imprisoned his twin’s body.  In a second Phury was freed and Zsadist grabbed his brother to kick them back to the surface.  Wrath helped.  Vishous helped.  All four broke the surface.  Only three gasped in air.  Phury was slack and unresponsive in his twin’s grip.

 

“No!” Zsadist hissed, kicking hard to get to the shore edge, where Rhage and Tohrment were already wading out to help him drag Phury to land.

 

The scarred Brother refused to relinquish his hold on Phury until the two were on dry land.  Not saying a word, Zsadist bent to place his ear to his brother’s chest.  No heartbeat.  No breath.

 

“No,” Zsadist snapped, tilting his brother’s head back to give him two strong breaths even as Tohrment knelt at Phury’s side to start the chest compressions next, “Breathe, Phury!  Breathe, damn it!”

 

Phury didn’t breathe, even as Tohr did the set of compressions needed before Zsadist was leaning to provide his twin with precious air once again.

 

“Come on,” Zsadist heard Rhage encourage from behind him, “Breathe, Phury.  Come on.  Breathe.”

 

“Breathe,” Wrath ordered as he kneeled by his lax Brother, “Fucking breathe, Phury, so I can give you hell for doing this selfless shit again.  Breathe, Phury.”

 

Zsadist breathed for his twin as Tohrment pounded on Phury’s chest to get the lazy heart and lungs working.  No gasping.  No inhales.  Only pale stillness that they’d seen on past Brothers.  Lost Brothers.  Time was ticking and seemed to have past Phury by.  His brother’s time was up.  Finally, Tohrment leaned back on his heels as truth set in.  Phury had made the ultimate sacrifice.

 

“No!  Breathe!” Zsadist roared, denying the truth as he slammed the others out of his way and slapped his brother hard across the face, “Don’t you fucking do this shit, Phury!  Breathe, damn you!  _Breathe!_ ”

 

Nothing.  Zsadist screamed a wordless denial and again leaned to breathe for his brother even as hands reached for him.

 

“Don’t touch me!  Don’t you fucking touch me!” Zsadist snarled, shaking off the hands and pressing his palms to Phury’s chest to try and rouse his brother as he pushed on the still ribcage, “Don’t do this, Phury.  Don’t you _fucking_ do this.  Breathe.  Breathe for me.  Come on.  Breathe, Phury.  _Come on!_ ”

 

“He’s gone, Z,” Wrath spat, grabbing at Zsadist’s frantic arms, “I’m so sorry.  He’s gone and he will be honored.  Phury will be honored.”

 

Zsadist glanced up into Wrath’s face and saw the heartbreak.  Saw the loss that Wrath was feeling.  The scarred one saw the same loss in the others’ faces as they looked at him or away.  Zsadist looked to his soaked brother.  His pale, beautiful brother with hair that still looked like a halo around his face as he lay unresponsive upon the freezing bank.  His brother.  _His_ brother!  The others knew no real loss.  They knew _nothing_!

 

“Don’t you dare!” Zsadist howled, throwing himself back beside Phury and pounding hard on his twin’s chest in rage before rearing back and slapping him in the face again to try and get some response, “Don’t you dare leave me alone!  Breathe!”

 

Zsadist bent and again breathed for his twin.  He could hear the others sighing.  He felt what he thought was Tohr’s hands on his back, but Zsadist wasn’t giving up on his brother.

 

“Breathe,” Zsadist ordered, denying the wetness that rolled down his cheeks while pushing on his brother’s chest to try and restart a stopped heart, “Breathe, Phury.  Please…please, breathe.”

 

Gasping sobs wrenched from him as he leaned and placed his forehead to his still twin’s forehead.  Comforting hands reached to help.  To offer what they could in a situation such as this.  The other Brother’s did not know loss such as this.  They didn’t know anything.

 

“Breathe,” Zsadist whispered, reaching to wrap himself around his twin, “Because I can’t breathe without you.  I can’t.  I don’t know _how_.”

 

A small shudder was the first thing the scarred Brother felt.  Zsadist leaned up so fast he nearly smacked Wrath in the face as Phury gave another shudder then a choking gasp.  The others inhaled loud as Zsadist snatched his brother’s torso up and pounded hard on Phury’s back.  Phury grunted before beginning to cough harshly as trapped water dribbled from gasping lips.

 

“Breathe,” Zsadist ordered, wrapping his spluttering brother in a tight embrace, “Breathe with me.  Breathe, Phury.”

 

oOo

 

Phury coughed harshly into a familiar shoulder.  His chest hurt and he seemed full of water.  Nasty, disgusting water than fell from slack lips as he hacked more and more of the vile liquid up.  Voices chattered around him while he coughed harder to clear his airways.  He didn’t understand, but a voice asked him to breathe.

 

“Breathe.  Breathe with me.  Breathe, Phury.”

 

Phury coughed harder as he gasped in a breath, and then another one.  Warm hands held him closer and he felt a solid chest against his own.  A breathing chest.  Familiar hands patted his back as he tried to regulate his gasps to the rise and fall breathing of the other that held him.  His head hurt and his chest felt like fire, but he breathed in and out, in and out.  He breathed in tandem with another that…he knew?

 

“Thank the Scribe Virgin,” a voice said as Phury coughed again before settling down as sleepiness pulled at him, “You beat the fucking life right back into him, Z.”

 

“Shut the fuck up, Rhage,” a voice spat as Phury felt the echoes of the voice within the same chest he lay against as the shivering started, “Give me your damn coat.  Phury’s freezing.”

 

Phury sighed softly as a warm weight was settled over him before he followed the pull of sleep to slip away into inky darkness.

 

oOo

 

Zsadist cursed when his brother went slack in his arms.  Fear gripped him hard as Vishous bent to check over Phury.

 

“He’s out, but breathing.  Let’s get him to Havers,” Vishous began, reaching to lift Phury before grunting as Zsadist pushed him harshly away.

 

“Don’t,” Zsadist warned, reaching to lift his own brother, “Just…back the fuck off.  Don’t _touch_ him.


	2. Chapter Two

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Enjoy.

Chapter Two

     Wrath helped Vishous up as Zsadist stalked away with his twin to climb back up to the bridge where their vehicle waited.  No one missed how thoroughly Zsadist had wrapped his brother up or how carefully his steps were to get Phury safely up the steep slope.

     “Your fault,” Wrath snorted as Vishous shook his head, “You know not to touch one of the fucking twins if the other is hurt.  Amazed you kept that hand.  Z doesn’t play when it comes to Phury.”

     “Forgot,” Vishous muttered, “Let’s get going.  Hypothermia has probably set in and the shit in Phury’s lungs can’t have been clean.  What happened to the fucking lessers?”

     “Tohr and I took care of them while the rest of you took a swim,” Rhage explained before grunting as Tohrment socked him one in the arm, “Ow.”

     “A drowning Brother who saved all of our lives is not something to joke about,” Tohrment snapped, “Let’s just get up there and get some heat cranked, okay?”

     The ride was mostly silent as Vishous took the wheel to race to the hidden medical center.  Quick glances showed Zsadist supporting his unconscious twin as Phury’s strained breathing could be heard clearly.  The scarred Brother frowned deeply, but none missed the half-hummed tune Zsadist sang almost too softly to hear.  The same song he always resorted to when trying to soothe his twin on the rare occasions that Phury was wounded or ill.  The others exchanged knowing glances, Zsadist was going to be a bitch to deal with when it was time for Havers to see to Phury’s condition.

     “Whoa, whoa, _whoa_ ,” Wrath grunted, containing the cursing, kicking twin as Phury was wheeled into an examination room, “Z, let Havers do his fucking job.  You’ll get in the way.”

     “Fuck you and fuck Havers,” Zsadist spat, kicking harder, “I’ll…”

     “Contain yourself.”

     All the Brothers including Zsadist stilled and turned to the female.  A nurse.

     “Near drowning can still be fatal even when you get the victim breathing again,” the female snapped, “For one, the water Lord Phury breathed in could be contaminated enough to cause infection to set in and two, water getting into the lungs can irritate the lung lining.  This can cause fluid to build up and cause pulmonary edema.  Dr. Havers needs to examine Lord Phury to keep him from having new symptoms arise so stop this and let us do our jobs.”

 

oOo

 

     Zsadist sighed as he straightened while the nurse stomped away.  Damn female and her…fussing.  The scarred twin refused to sit down in the waiting room once he’d been forced into some dry scrubs with Vishous and Wrath, but paced back and forth like an animal in a cage.  It felt like an eternity before Havers stepped into the room.

     “Lord Phury is dealing with a nasty bit of hypothermia.  His core temperature is too low and we have taken several steps in getting him warmed up,” Havers began as everyone gathered, “His breathing is hampered by a bit of infection that has set up in his lungs, but is doing well with the oxygen mask and I have set him up on some antibiotics.  He woke enough for me to do a few tests that make me believe that there is no brain damage.  All in all, Lord Phury should be fine, barring any complications.  He was lucky tonight.”

     “We all were,” Wrath sighed, sagging a bit in relief, “Very lucky.”

     Zsadist ignored the rest as Wrath began peppering Havers with questions while he slipped from the room to follow Phury’s scent.  He always could do that.  Follow Phury’s scent from distances he couldn’t anyone else.  The scarred one didn’t know why.  Twin thing or something unique to him?  Who the fuck cared anyway.

     “Damn,” Zsadist breathed when he finally stepped into his brother’s room.

     Phury was covered in several blankets and had a heater blowing on him, but the male’s face was pure white in color if you can even calling fucking white a color at all.  Zsadist frowned at his brother’s shivering as Phury lightly tossed his head before settling down.  The elder twin adjusted the breathing mask to sit better over Phury’s nose and lips and sighed at how weak and pale his brother looked.  Helpless rage filled him and then settled just as quickly.  Phury was cold and needed to be warm.  He could do that.  Zsadist pulled Phury close once he crawled onto the bed and slipped under the same covers. 

     “Hair’s still damp,” Zsadist said to himself, arranging his twin to share as much body heat as possible, “Fucking Havers could have dried you up better.  Asshole.”

     Zsadist began his soft humming as he rubbed his brother’s back.  The warmth of the heater helped him ease into sleep despite hating the feel of a bed underneath him.

 

oOo

 

     “By the Virgin in the Mist.”

     Four males blinked at the sight before them.  Zsadist was curled protectively around Phury.  Both twins seemed to be sleeping peacefully, but this was a rare, _rare_ occurrence indeed.  Havers was stiff as he tapped an impatient foot beside the Brotherhood.

     “As you can see, Lord Zsadist has helped tremendously with getting his brother warmed up,” Havers said as the Brothers turned from the observation window, “It is a wonder he didn’t rip out Lord Phury’s IV line, but his temperature is stable now.  I do wish you lot would listen to doctor’s orders.”

     “Zsadist doesn’t listen to anyone’s orders,” Wrath grumbled, looking back to the twins, “Especially when it comes to Phury, even if he would deny it.  Things run simpler in Z’s mind when he sees action needs to be taken.  Phury needed to be warm so Zsadist shared his body heat.  Phury would have done the same for his twin.  You know that by now, Havers.”

     “Yes, but how am I going to monitor Lord Phury’s vitals without having my head ripped off?” Havers sniped, gesturing to the sleeping twins, “I need to check and see if the antibiotics has headed off a chest infection and I can plainly see the dagger Lord Zsadist has gripped in his hand.”

     “Yep,” Rhage snickered, giving Havers a side glance, “He’d take a limb off or your head if you disturbed Phury.”

     “No kidding,” Havers grumped as the Brothers looked away in amusement at the doctor’s petulant look.

     “Let me try,” Tohrment spoke up as the others looked to him, “He’s listened to me in the past when Phury was downed.  Tell Welsie I love her if Z kills me.”

     The others chuckled softly as Tohrment eased into the room slowly.  There was no need to get close since Zsadist’s eyes cracked open to glare at the intruder.

     “Just me,” Tohrment tried as the other Brother tightened his grip on his dagger, “Havers needs to check Phury’s vitals.  Says you’ve down a great job getting his temp up, Bro, but the doc needs to make sure that any infection is being held off by the meds, Z.  No killing the doctor, got me?”

     “Then tell him not to fucking wake my brother,” Zsadist whispered as Tohrment nodded, “He’s got five minutes.  Phury’s still shivering and needs rest.  He doesn’t need to be prodded on.”

     “Yeah, he’s been through enough tonight,” Tohrment agreed as Zsadist blinked at him, “Try to stay calm.  You’ve tensed up and it’s causing Phury to stir a little.  Keep yourself still.”

     Zsadist glanced down at what he could see of his brother’s face and seemed to be working to calm himself while Tohr went to get the doctor.  By the time he returned with Havers, any lines in Phury’s face had smoothed back out now that his “pillow” was calm again.

     “Do not wake him,” Zsadist hissed softly as the doctor sighed, “I fucking mean it.”

     “Not like I don’t need to make sure his lungs aren’t filling with fluid or anything to keep Lord Phury alive,” Havers hissed right back as he placed the stethoscope tips into his ears and blew on the metal drum before skittering back as Zsadist shoved at him, “What _now_?”

     “You’re not touching Phury with that germed up thing,” Zsadist growled as softly as possible as Phury stirred a bit, “You blew your spit on it."

     Tohrment had a hard time holding in his snorts of laughter as Havers whisper-argued back that he was “warming it up” so not to place a chilled bit of metal on his patient’s skin.  Phury’s small noise of distress quieted the whole group as Zsadist reached to rub his brother’s back until Phury settled back into a deeper sleep.  There was no more arguing then as Havers worked quickly to listen to Phury’s lungs and heart before checking his temperature with a nod.  Zsadist’s eyes followed Tohrment and Havers as they left before Tohr saw him tuck Phury under the covers more and closed his eyes.

     “Temperature has climbed, but still a bit too low,” Havers began as the Brothers gathered around him, “Heart sounds good, but lungs are a little congested.  I don’t think fluid is building, but the water and cold has led to some infection.  The meds I’ve got Lord Phury on should clear that up quickly.  He was aware enough to know Lord Zsadist and I were arguing so I again feel that we can rule out any brain damage.”

     “Aware enough?” Wrath questioned, glancing back to the twins sharply.

     “Heard Z and Havers arguing and made his feelings known that he was being disturbed,” Tohrment explained as Wrath glared angrily at Havers, “Z got Phury soothed and we know that he’s doing better.  Now what?”

     “Now Lord Phury rests and we wait,” Havers admitted, “The rest really relies on him and his body’s natural healing process.  Lord Zsadist’s presence is keeping him warm and calm.  Hopefully, the antibiotics clear up the chest infection and Lord Phury wakes so we can really be assured that this unfortunate event didn’t leave any lasting damage.”

     “Well, ain’t that a load of shit,” Vishous swore softly, placing his hands on the sill of the observation window, “So we have to wait to see if Phury’s going to be okay or not.  Waiting fucking sucks.”

     “Unfortunately, waiting is all we can do,” Havers murmured, glancing into the room before excusing himself to go check on his other patients.

     Wrath cursed softly as the others turned to him.

     “What the hell are we going to fucking do if Phury doesn’t make it?” Wrath bit out, nodding to the twins, “If you think Z is a bitch to deal with when Phury is hurt or sick, then what’s the male going to be like if he loses his brother?”

     “Shit,” Rhage sighed, scrubbing a hand through his hair, “He’ll follow his brother, Wrath.  Zsadist would deny it, but he goes where Phury goes.  Period.”

 To be continued...


	3. Chapter Three

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Love the twins!

Chapter Three

     Wrath cursed softly as the others turned to him.

     “What the hell are we going to fucking do if Phury doesn’t make it?” Wrath bit out, nodding to the twins, “If you think Z is a bitch to deal with when Phury is hurt or sick, then what’s the male going to be like if he loses his brother?”

     “Shit,” Rhage sighed, scrubbing a hand through his hair, “He’ll follow his brother, Wrath.  Zsadist would deny it, but he goes where Phury goes.  Period.”

     “Phury came back.”

     The other Brothers glanced at Tohrment as he stayed facing the window.

     “Phury died.  There is no denying that fact,” Tohr continued as the others blanched, “He died and was approaching the Fade, but he heard Zsadist.  I don’t know what our Brother said to his twin, but Z said something that pulled Phury back.  Phury came running and I don’t see him leaving again.  He knows that Z would follow him into the Fade.  Those two look out for one another.  Let’s have some faith that Phury rallies even if only for Z’s sake.”

     The Brotherhood nodded at one another and went to drag some chairs from the waiting room to sit in the hallway.  Havers and the nurses had a bit of a fit, but none of the males were going to leave the room that housed two of their Brothers unguarded.  So they settled and they waited.

 

oOo

 

     Phury felt warm.  Very warm and content.  The warm hand running through his hair and the softly hummed lullaby was soothing.  He didn’t know where he was, but he felt safe.  He felt safe and exhausted so he remained within the inky darkness.  He knew he’d been in this darkness a long time, but he just had no energy to care at the moment.

     “Hey, Z.  How’s your brother?”

     Phury blinked into the darkness at the voice.  Wrath?

     “Still out, but his last temperature check shows he’s leveled out finally.  The infection has set into his lungs decently, but the fucking doctor says that the meds are doing something.  I don’t see how the shit is doing something if Phury’s still gotten sick.”

     “Zsadist, I think your brother swallowed half the bay with the amount of water he coughed up.  We’re lucky that a chest infection is the least of our worries.”

     Phury heard the other snort.  Felt the vibrations in the familiar chest he lay against.  It was Z and his brother was…holding him?  Zsadist?  _Seriously?_

     “Been thinking about that fucking trap.  That bridge was old and the lessers had hidden the chains well.  How’d he know?  How did Phury see what the rest of us missed?”

     “I’ve been thinking about that too,” Wrath’s voice replied as Phury listened, “Phury was further back than the rest of us.  He’s good at seeing details and the full picture.  I think it is the artist within him.  We’ve all seen his sketches when he wasn’t aware that we were watching him.  He noticed the details the rest of us missed.  He saw the trap.”

     “Then he did his shit,” Phury heard Zsadist hiss as the warm hand stilled in his hair before returning to the soothing stroking, “He could have died.”

     “Yeah, he could have,” Wrath sighed, “We all took our oath under the understanding that we’d lay down our life for our people and our Brothers, Z.  Phury did what was necessary at the time.  We all owe him our lives.”

     “I’m sick of the owing,” Zsadist snapped as Phury’s heart sank before warming at the next words, “He’s given enough for thrice of lifetimes.  I…I can’t see him like that again.  Lifeless on a freezing bankside.  Not Phury.”

     Phury felt the new hand rest on his back as his brother growled a warning.  Zsadist didn’t like people touching either of them when the other was vulnerable.  It was an endearing behavior in Phury’s book and damn near impossible to deal with for others.

     “You never change, Z,” Phury heard Wrath chortle as the weight on his back disappeared, “I never want to see Phury like that again either.  I don’t want that for any of the Brothers, Zsadist, but we all knew the ramifications of becoming a Brother.  Don’t you start a lot of fussing once Phury wakes.  Leave that to me.  Phury and I will be having a talk about this streak of protecting others over himself, Z.  Mark my words.”

     Phury listened for Zsadist’s reply.  It was long in coming.

     “You’d better be fucking gentle in this talk.  Phury’s been through enough.  I…I’m not even sure if he didn’t pass to the Fade for a moment…didn’t leave….”

     Zsadist’s arms were tight around his brother and Phury heard it.  “Didn’t leave me.”  That is what Zsadist was trying to say.  He’d scared his twin.  It took a lot to rattle Z, but he was rattled.  Phury remembered everything now.  He didn’t like this warm, inky blackness anymore.  He need to wake up.  Return to his brother, but he was so tired and sleep pulled him down as the voices faded.  He felt himself coming aware again later when he followed the soft lullaby.  Phury reached to follow that tune and whimpered when it stopped suddenly.

     “Phury?”

     Phury felt himself come fully aware then.  Felt the bed he lay upon and the chest he leaned against.  Felt the hand patting his cheek as his name was called again.  Grizzling his nose slightly, Phury pushed himself until golden eyes blinked open to look up into relieved, angry black.

     “Z?” Phury heard himself mumble before noticing the mask over his face as he coughed lightly.

     Phury’s twin reached for a cup on a table over the bed and eased the breathing mask off as Phury took a few good pulls from the straw.  Fresh water felt good on his dry throat while Zsadist replaced the breathing mask.  Fresh oxygen felt real good too.

     “Zsadist?” Phury whispered, turning his head up slightly to see his brother.

     “You…do you remember the bridge?” Zsadist began as his twin blinked up at him, “Remember what happened?”

     “There was a trap,” Phury heard himself say even though it came out muffled through the mask, “Pushed you all away and tried to get out too.  Foot got hung in a chain and then…I was entangled and got dragged off the bridge, into the water.  I…I drowned.  I died and I saw the doors.”

     Zsadist swore as Phury grunted as his twin’s arms grew too tight around him.

     “The doors to the Fade?” Zsadist hissed as Phury nodded while his twin eased his grip, “Fuck!’

     “Yeah,” Phury agreed, settling his head back against his brother’s chest, “I didn’t want to, but I was reaching for the handle when I heard your voice Zsadist.  I don’t know exactly what you said, but in that moment…I was scared and needed…I knew I had to come back.  _Wanted_ to come back.  I came back and I feel like a fucking building hit me.  Ow, Z.”

     “Ow,” Zsadist repeated as he nodded while his hands began stroking through his twin’s long hair again, “Go back to sleep.  You’re tired.”

     “Kay,” Phury sighed, closing his eyes as the warmth and contentment came back, “Kay, Z.”

     Phury slipped back to sleep.  He’d used all of his energy and he was so tired and Zsadist was here.  He was safe.  Z was safe.  That was all that mattered.

To be continued...


	4. Chapter Four

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Should I write more?

Chapter Four

     Zsadist held in the building rage.  Forced his muscles to remain lax so not to disturb his twin.  It was true.  Phury had died.  The lessers had killed his brother even if for only a moment.  Fuck it!  Fuck them all, the bastards!  He glanced up as the door swung open and the Brotherhood stumbled inside.

     “Phury was _awake_ ,” Wrath whispered as the others gathered around the bed, “Two fucking days of sleeping like Sleeping Beauty, but he woke.  We held back so you could talk with him.  Is he aware?”

     “Yes,” Zsadist agreed as the rage filled his eyes as the others frowned, “He woke and he was very aware.  Fucking remembered everything.  His foot got hung in a chain and then he was ensnared.  That is how the trap pulled him under.  Phury wasn’t trying to sacrifice himself.  He was doing his duties as a Brother.”

     “So why are you pissed as hell?” Vishous demanded as Zsadist leaned his head back on the pillow.

     “Phury saw the doors of the Fade,” Zsadist hissed, “He died on…us.  He left this world.”

     Soft cursing erupted from the others as Zsadist closed his eyes in anger.  His brother had nearly left him.  Phury can’t leave.  He just couldn’t.

     “But he came back,” Tohr pushed as Z looked up at him, “Phury came back to us and that is all that matters.  So, no brain damage?”

     “No,” Zsadist agreed, appreciating Tohrment’s change of subject, “He spoke clearly.  Phury’s weak, but seems to be on the mend.  That fucking Havers just can’t figure out why Phury’s temperature drops when someone’s not sharing body heat.”

     “Scared the shit out of us all, Z,” Wrath reminded as he remembered to the time that Zsadist had slipped away from his twin to handle the necessary and Phury’s temperature plummeted dangerously low. 

     “I _do_ know,” Havers snapped from the doorway before sighing, “Or, I have a theory.”

     “And?” Wrath demanded as the doctor sighed again.

     “The hypothalamus of the brain regulates body temperature,” Havers began as Zsadist narrowed his eyes as he listened, “Lord Phury was technically brain dead for a number of minutes so his hypothalamus is reacting a bit sluggishly at the moment.  I’ve already done some scans earlier, before Lord Zsadist started sharing his body heat, and there was no physical damage that was seen.  There is a medication that I’d like to administer that should jump start Lord Phury’s system and help him regain some equilibrium.”

     “Side effects?” Zsadist bit out.

     “Bit of vertigo for a little chunk of time and possible nausea, but nothing more,” Havers admitted as Zsadist relaxed with a nod, “I have permission to administer the medication from Lord Phury’s blooded brother?”

     “Yes,” Zsadist agreed before stilling as Phury grumbled softly and curled against him more, “No more talking.  Let my brother sleep.”

     Havers hooked up another bag to Phury’s IV line and left while the Brothers pulled their chairs inside of the room.  Zsadist raised a questioning brow.

     “Just allow this,” Wrath whispered, shuddering for a second, “It’s not a good day to find out a Brother died.  We all need to be close for right now, okay?”

     Zsadist sighed and nodded.  It wasn’t a good day to know a Brother died.  Not when that Brother was your twin.  Not when it was Phury.  Never Phury.

 

oOo

 

     Yawning, Phury woke and blinked at the hand that rested near his face.  Oh, Zsadist.  Why would his brother still be holding him like this?  Zsadist hated touching and had trouble offering any display of affection.

     “Hey.”

     Phury’s eyes flicked up to see Tohr so he offered a small smile as the rest of the Brothers stood to get in his line of sight.

     “Z’s out,” Tohr explained as Phury listened, “You’ve been asleep for quite a while.  How do you feel?  Any dizziness or nauseas?”

     “No.  Just feel heavy,” Phury mumbled, looking cross eyed at the breathing mask as the others snorted in laughter, “Why and why is Z sharing the bed with me?  It’s…this isn’t like Zsadist.”

     “Your brain wasn’t talking right to the rest of your body to keep you warm,” Vishous offered, “Zsadist has been sharing his body heat until Havers figured out what was going on.  Scared us all good, Phury.  You’ve been given a medication that will help your brain pick up the slack so that you don’t need your Z teddy bear there.”

     Phury chuckled softly before coughing as the infection building in his chest made itself known.  Zsadist woke with a snort and sat up with Phury as Wrath handed him a cup of water.  Once again, Z helped him with the mask so that he could sip at the water to get the spasms under control.

     “No,” Phury denied, pushing at the mask when Zsadist tried to replace it, “I’m fine.”

     “Like fuck you are,” Zsadist retorted, replacing the mask firmly as his brother sighed, “Still an ow?”

     “Not so bad,” Phury admitted, “Just feel heavy and lethargic and that heater blowing in my face makes me feel way too toasty.  I’m hot.”

     “I’ll get Havers.  Maybe the medication is working and Phury’s getting too warmed up,” Rhage volunteered as he hurried from the room.

     “An ‘ow?’” Wrath chuckled.

     “Phury doesn’t admit to pain much,” Zsadist growled, glaring down at his brother as Phury sighed again, “An 'ow' is not good.  Means he’s fucking hurting and is trying to downplay.”

     “Shut up,” Phury muttered as the Brothers snorted around him.

     The others chattered as Phury’s addled mind tried to keep up.  Havers came in and decided that it was indeed time to see if Phury could regulate his own temperature.  The heater was turned off which felt great to the overheated male.  The younger twin sighed at the loss of contact from his brother.  It had been nice to feel that closeness while it lasted.  Nicer to feel the mask gone, but he hated the tube beneath his nose.  Always itched.

     “Nice to see those peepers,” Tohrment joked as Phury offered another smile, “You scared the shit out of us, Phury.  Welsie has been beside herself, but there has been too much lesser activity to let her travel here to visit.”

     “Well, it sounds like I’ve caught something from my dunking anyway,” Phury frowned out at the thought of lessers as he leaned against the nest of pillows behind his back, “Probably best she wasn’t exposed to it.”

     “She’d have to inhale the bay to catch what you got, but the notion is just like you to think of Welsie instead of yourself,” Tohr sniped, flicking the end of Phury’s nose softly before raising hands in surrender as Zsadist growled at him, “Not touching, not touching.”

     “I’m fine, Z,” Phury soothed before snorting softly as his brother glared at him, “I _will_ be fine.   I’m not as hot as before, but I’d like some more of that water.”

     Zsadist immediately held the straw to his brother’s lips as Phury drank greedily.  Phury had been disappointed that he couldn’t hold the cup on his own, but his hands were a bit too shaky.  Zsadist pulled away once Phury was finished.  The younger twin hummed softly at the small talk going on around him before his eyes slid shut again.  Seemed nearly drowning took a lot out of a male.

 

oOo

 

     Zsadist waved the others into silence when his twin slipped back asleep.  Havers came in a moment later and confirmed that Phury’s temp was holding.  The medication was working.  A couple of days later, Zsadist was holding his brother steady as Phury was helped up the stairs since he could finally come home.

     “I’m not dizzy anymore,” Phury fussed as his twin rolled his eyes, “One time, Z.  I was only dizzy once and it passed quickly.”

     “Great to know, but not taking the chance that you’ll get dizzy on the fucking stairs,” Zsadist growled, getting irritated and swinging his squawking brother up over his shoulder to carry him to his room, “Shut up, Asshole.”

     “Fucker.”

     “Moron.”

     “Put me down,” Phury huffed as a laughing Vishous and Wrath watched the spectacle from the bottom of the steps, “Z, put me down _now_.”

     “Nope,” Zsadist denied, as his twin beat a fist on his back in irritation, “Feels like a gnat.  Get stronger and then try to knock me one.”

     Zsadist smirked inside at his twin’s sighs of exasperation before Phury grunted as he was dumped on his bed without warning.  Phury sat up with his hair in his face and begin his lecturing even as the elder pulled off his shoes and prosthesis and tucked him into bed.  Chest infection was better, but not completely gone.  Havers had said two weeks of complete bed rest so two weeks it would be.

     “ _You_ ,” Phury spat as Zsadist backed away from the bed, “Annoying.”

     Zsadist studied his brother as Phury grumbled softly.  His twin’s coloring was better.  His spirits were surely back, but his brother had died.  Had left him.

     “Never again,” Zsadist spat suddenly as Phury glanced up at him again, “No martyring.  No sacrificing.  No more of those damn doors.  No more.”

     “Then make that same promise on _your_ end,” Phury demanded as the scarred twin blinked at him, “I’ll swear if you do the same.”

     Zsadist hissed a breath in as Phury’s unwavering gaze held his.  This male.  This irritating male!

     “Damn you,” Zsadist whispered, surprising his twin when he placed his forehead to the other’s, “Damn you and back again.  _Damn_ you!”

 

oOo

 

     Zsadist practically sprinted from the room as Phury watched him leave.  Touchy-feely wasn’t Z’s thing.  His time with that bitch had made his twin an emotionally stunted male that didn’t know how to interact well with others…especially his brother.

     “He was still there for you in the end,” a happy voice chirped in Phury’s head as he leaned back against his pillows and smiled softly, “Kept you warm when you couldn’t do that on your own.  Kept you safe.”

     Phury’s negative voice was for once silenced.  The Wizard couldn’t get in a word to ruin this moment for once.  Z had jumped in that water after his brother.  Phury couldn’t fix what Zsadist had gone through.  Couldn’t make it better for his twin no matter how much he wanted to do that for Z, but he _did_ matter to his brother.  His brother _did_ care deeply for his twin and the knowledge of that made all the difference in the world.  Phury still had someone to fight beside…to fight for.

     “Everything okay in here?”

     Phury looked up to see Tohr standing in his doorway.

     “It’s actually pretty good in here.  You see the sprinter?” Phury snorted as his friend laughed with a nod, “I worried Z and he doesn’t know how to express it.”

     “You worried us all,” Wrath spoke up as he peeked in behind Tohrment, “I was going to give you the lecture from hell, Phury.  Thought you’d tried to fucking sacrifice yourself.”

     “Nope, just shitty luck,” Phury sighed, “I had hoped to get out in time myself, but no go.  It worked out.”

     “ _This_ time,” Vishous growled, pushing Tohrment back, “We’re going to be working on some high stepping in training once you are back at proper strength, Bro.  Ain’t going to watch something like that again or I’ll bash you one good.”

     Vishous stumbled into Rhage when the black dagger landed neatly in the door sill in front of his face.

     “Don’t threaten Phury and get the fuck out of here,” Zsadist’s voice snarled as the others scuttled away, “The fucking doc said no stress.  Let the male rest.  Get some sleep, Phury.  Stop fucking laughing, Rhage!”

     Phury saw his brother stalk by as he snatched his dagger and closed the door.  He smiled as he settled down to sleep.  His brother cared.  Z showed it weird, but he did care.  Maybe he wasn’t so tired that he was quite ready to give the fight up just yet.  Seemed his brother didn’t know how to breathe without him.  So Phury would breathe.

 

The end.

 

 

 


End file.
